FESTIVAL DE JEREZ 2005. CAÑIZARES/ ANTONIO MARQUEZ

Pluralism

Silvia Calado. Jerez, March 8th 2005-03-09

Cañizares in concert. Juan Manuel Cañizares: guitar. José de Lucía: guitar, bass. Antonio Granjero: percussion. Sala Compañia, 7pm. Compañia Antonio Marquez. ‘El sombrero de tres picos’. Miller: Antonio Marquez. Miller’s wife: Sara Colero. Chief Magistrate: Jairo Rodriguez. Chief Magistrate’s wife: Aranzazu Gómez. Marten: Elías Morales. Choreography: Antonio Ruiz Soler. Music: Manuel de Falla. Director: Ataúlfo Argenta. Teatro Villamarta, 9pm. Jerez (Cadiz province, Spain), 8th March 2005

Juan Manuel Cañizares and Antonio Granjero
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Juan Manuel Cañizares’s concert at Sala Compañía marked the close of activities on the festival’s secondary stages. The musician, a distinguished example of the finest of Spain’s guitarists, put the finishing touch to the ‘Bordón y cuenta nueva’ season, which already featured guitarist José Antonio Rodriguez. Accompanied by José de Lucía - bass and guitar - and Antonio Granjero – percussion - he offered a recital in which, of all the tricks up his sleeve (by no means few), he opted for power and magic. This was transmitted directly to an audience that didn’t hesitate to applaud whenever it was asked of them. He showed no signs of renouncing moments of sensitivity nor did he refuse to incorporate such unlikely perspectives as those of puritanical flamenco, flamenco rock, flamenco pop or even ‘Brazilian’ flavors. The concert turned out to be thrilling and intense, proving that there is demand and appreciation for flamenco guitar soloists. Let this serve as a lesson to event organizers and record companies – it’s five years now since he recorded ‘Punto de encuentro.’

Weighing up

	Antonio Márquez (photo: Daniel Muñoz)

With only the closing night remaining, the Festival of Jerez already released the first attendance statistics for the ninth year. According to the festival director, Paco López, and the mayor of Jerez, Pilar Sánchez, this year’s attendance increased by 9% compared to last year, with an estimated turnout of 24,300 people. With these more than satisfactory results on the table, the festival organizers have their eyes set on the preparations for the 10th anniversary, “which will have a very special format.” Such a significant commemoration of the festival, which has consolidated the biggest annual international event featuring both flamenco and Spanish dance, cannot be missed. Such an auspicious anniversary of the festival that has built up the biggest annual international gathering of both Spanish and flamenco dance is not to be missed.

That this festival is also about traditional Spanish dance was made clear on the second to last day, with the Antonio Márquez company providing us with a three-fold performance. This entailed this festival’s second date with ‘El sombrero de tres picos’ (the three-cornered hat). While the National Ballet’s performance at the inauguration offered us Manuel de Fallas work inserted and parodied within ‘El Loco’, the penultimate day displayed it in its entirety in the version based on Antonio’s choreography. Oddly enough, Antonio el Bailarín had the honor being invited by Leonide Massine himself, first dancer of Russian Ballets of Diaghilev, to play the role of the miller in the tragedy of Félix el Loco. With Antonio Márquez reviving the montage his company premièred at Madrid’s Teatro Real in 1997, its timeless quality is again made quite evident. The Ballet, which is influenced by both court and folk dance, has a kind of naïve simplicity and effectiveness about it, allowing even the coarsest of gags to come across well. The ballet dancer also performed two other pieces from his repertoire: ‘Zapateado’ and Ravel’s Bolero, winning over an audience which in 2003 awarded him the prize for best show at the festival for his production ‘Preludio, zapateado y boda flamenca.’

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